Iconic Cosmopolitan editor dies at 90

Helen Gurley Brown was credited with helping to usher in the 1960s sexual revolution.

14 Aug 2012 02:02 GMT

Helen Gurley Brown was editor of Cosmopolitan for over 30 years [GALLO/GETTY]

Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine who helped usher in the sexual revolution, has died at the age of 90.

"Helen was one of the world's most recognised magazine editors and book authors, and a true pioneer for women in journalism," Frank Bennack Jr, chief executive of the Hearst Corp., wrote in a memo to staff confirming Gurley Brown's death on Monday.

Hearst is the parent company of Cosmopolitan.

Gurley Brown put her stamp on Cosmopolitan, editing the magazine for over 30 years, which became famous for its cover lines extolling the virtues of sex.

Gurley Brown was at the forefront of changing sexual mores when she wrote "Sex and the Single Girl," published in 1962, about her single life, encouraging women to have sex freely regardless of their martial status.

She died at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Centre after a brief hospitalisation, Bennack wrote.